Can the spray stay on Wellesley's Waban Arches?

Thursday

Jun 26, 2014 at 6:12 PMJun 26, 2014 at 6:12 PM

By Jordan Mayblum

What it is: The historic Waban Arches are regularly covered in spray paint. Some like it, some don’t. Whether or not it stays is the decision of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.Earlier this month, a Townsman letter-writer suggested that the graffiti that covers nearly every inch of the Waban Arches bridge be considered an art installation.

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, which owns and oversees the bridge, doesn’t see it that way."I don’t think it’s an appropriate location for that kind of art," said MWRA Communications Director Ria Convery.According to police, an MWRA employee called on two separate occasions earlier this month to report damage to a fence on the property, and also made note of the ongoing graffiti issue on the bridge.According to Convery, the MWRA, which has its crews remove the graffiti in Wellesley as often as possible, faces similar issues along the length of the aqueduct. "It’s an ongoing issue," she said. "It’s not unique."The Sudbury Aqueduct is 16 miles long and runs from Framingham to Boston. In Wellesley, the aqueduct is part of a trail that incorporates the Waban Arches.

Because the aqueduct is state property, the State Police check the area routinely, and the MWRA notifies the Wellesley Police as well, but the town police generally only respond directly when suspicious activity is reported, Convery said."We work with state police and local police to try and catch them," Convery said last week, "but kids will be kids."Despite the letter-writer’s suggestion that the town leave the spray painted areas alone, and remove the paint each year as part of a renewable art project, it’s not the town’s decision to make and it’s not a project the MWRA wants any part in."I don’t think that’s something we’d be interested in doing," she said.Convery said she was unsure what the cost has been to remove the graffiti, but the work falls under the department’s maintenance budget and is done in-house.Have a question about something you've seen or heard about around town? Contact reporterJordan Mayblum @ Jmayblum@Wickedlocal.com and he'll do his best to track down the answer.